


The Wolf's Claim

by mystic_believexx



Series: Into the Woods [3]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Louis, Dominant Louis, Harry's growing up, Human Harry, Human-Werewolf Interactions, I promise it's not creepy, Jealousy, M/M, Mates, Pack Dynamics, Pack Hierarchy, Part 3, Possessive Behaviour, Scent Marking, Soul Bond, Teenagers, but not too much, mostly cute, werewolves au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-04 13:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5336138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystic_believexx/pseuds/mystic_believexx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Harry started to wonder just how long Louis Tomlinson had been watching him for.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>Being Louis' mate is just the tip of the iceberg...<br/>OR<br/>The one where Harry discovers the dangers of being the future Alpha's mate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Let me just take a moment to say a huge thank you for all the comments and kudos on the last part! I loved reading all your theories! Did any of you come close to the truth?  
> Have a read and see ;) xx
> 
> Quick Note: I mention a random website in this story. I just made the website up in my head so if it _is_ an actual site, no copyright intended. Okay, on with the show :)

**_What Harry didn’t expect was to see his friend’s face turn pale and Liam to choke out, “Who told you?”_ **

 

Harry blinked at his friend, throat suddenly dry. What was Liam talking about?

“Huh?” he managed to ask.

Liam took a deep breath, opened his mouth to say something and then froze in his tracks, his eyes on the silver necklace that hung around Harry’s neck.

Harry normally buttoned his school uniform up to his neck to hide the accessory but he had been in a rush that morning and had left the top few buttons undone. He hadn’t thought it to be a big deal but the way Liam was staring at the necklace made Harry feel as if he should cover it up.

“Where did…who’s…?” Liam trailed off, eyes raking over the necklace. 

Harry’s hand moved, without conscious thought on his part, to shield the silver ornament from his friend’s piercing gaze.

“I…” he began to explain but Liam clapped a hand over his mouth, leaning closer to hiss, “Not _here_! They’ll be listening! Remember that abandoned factory we snuck into for Halloween a couple of years ago?”

Harry blinked and nodded, utterly confused by this point.

“Good”, Liam nodded to himself, as if he were making up his mind about something, “Meet me there in an hour. We’ll talk then”.

Liam’s eyes held some unrecognisable emotion but before Harry could ask him if he was okay, the brown-eyed boy got up from the lunch table, grabbed his bag and walked off.

Harry stared after him, completely baffled. Neither him nor Liam _ever_ skipped classes! A part of him wanted to ignore his friend’s strange behaviour and go to his next class instead but another part of him, the part that had kept him up at night wondering about werewolves, knew he had to find out what was going on.

He wasn’t sure how the lad was connected to everything but he clearly had more knowledge about what was going on than Harry did! If Jay and Zayn weren’t going to tell him, he’d get it out of Liam. 

_____________________________________

 

Harry had thought he was doing a good job of sneaking out of the school gates until an accented voice called out his name.

He tried to calm his racing heart and not look obviously guilty as he turned around to see Niall Horan, a kid who was in his chemistry class, running up to him.

“Where are you off to then, Harry? Don’t you have English next?” the blonde asked, an effortless smile on his face.

Harry was slightly taken aback. Sure, he had _seen_ Niall around school before but they had never spoken. The only reason Harry even knew his name was because Niall was on the school’s swimming team and had won them Nationals last year. Since Harry didn’t have any such outstanding achievements, he hadn’t expected Niall to know his name let alone, his timetable!

Yet here he was, staring at Harry with an expectant look on his face. He didn’t look as if he were going to tell a teacher about Harry’s first attempt at truancy. In fact, he just looked genuinely curious as to where his classmate could be wandering off to an hour before school finished.

“Um…I have this…thing I need to do”, Harry cursed himself for being such a horrible liar but Niall just tilted his head, a small frown creasing his face.

“With who?” the blonde asked and, at Harry’s surprised look, added, “I’ve been in the same school as you since we were ten, Harry. I know you don’t usually skive off classes so who’s convinced you to do it today?”

Harry’s mouth fell open. He wasn’t sure what he was more surprised at- the fact that Niall had been in his primary school and Harry hadn’t noticed or the fact that Niall had been paying enough attention to him to realise he was normally a model student.

“Um…” Harry mumbled, before relenting with a sigh. He _sucked_ at lying! 

“My friend, Liam”.

Niall’s eyes, which had been filled with amusement up until this point, suddenly hardened.

“Liam _Payne_?” he asked, making Liam’s last name sound as if it were the worst of insults.

“Uh…yeah?”.  
Harry wasn’t sure why but he felt as if that had been the wrong answer to give.

Niall’s face tightened but he also looked confused, as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle…until his eyes fell on the silver necklace that was still around Harry’s neck. What was it with everyone and that necklace today?

Harry reached up to cover it with his hand again but suddenly, Niall was taking a step back from him and dropping to his knees.

“What are you doing?” Harry asked, bewildered, glancing around to make sure no one else was witnessing the strange scene, “I don’t know you very well but if you’re about to serenade me or something, I’m going to have to tell you to-”

His words cut off on a gasp when Niall looked back up at him with glowing, _golden_ eyes.

“Y..you’re a-”

“Werewolf”, Niall finished the sentence for him with a nod, slowly getting up and brushing the dust off his jeans “I’m sorry for…I’m one of the younger members of the pack so my instincts kick in when I interact with someone who’s higher up the hierarchy than me”.

Harry wasn’t stupid. Not by a long shot. It’s just that none of the words Niall was saying made any sense. 

“Fuck! Am I a secret werewolf or something? Is that why Jay came to see me and then Zayn? I thought you had to be bitten to get turned into…shit! Was urbanmyths.com _lying_ to me?!” Harry was panicking but in his defence, this seemed to be the only logical explanation for all the weirdness that was going on today.

Niall actually had the audacity to cackle at Harry’s misery.

“Niall!” Harry whined, possibly minutes away from a full-blown panic attack.

“Sorry! Sorry”, the blonde wheezed out, finally regaining control over his laughter, “That was just too funny, lad! Who uses urbanmyths.com as a reliable source of information? Seriously, you would’ve had better luck using Wikipedia!”

Harry glared at Niall but he was worrying too much for it to be effective. 

“So I’m not a…” Harry mumbled, hesitantly.

Niall shook his head.  
“If you were a Were, you couldn’t have silver directly touching your skin without causing some serious burns”.

The blonde nodded towards the necklace and, okay, Harry’s skin was not burning away. Right. So scratch that theory then. Except now, he was back to square one and had no fucking clue what was going on in his life!

“Look, Harry”, Niall spoke before he could voice his frustrations out loud, “Please don’t ask me to explain. It’s not my place to do it”.

“So everyone keeps saying”, Harry muttered.

Niall chuckled a little at that before continuing.

“You’re not a werewolf but you _are_ pack and pack members protect each other. Which is why I’m going to tell you to stay away from Payne”.

Harry raised an eyebrow at that.  
“Liam’s been my best friend for _years_. Since we were-”

“Ten years old, I know”, Niall interrupted, “And you’ve never found that suspicious? That he just showed up out of the blue and managed to gain your friendship on his very first day at a new school?”

“His parents got divorced and his Mum remarried. He moved here with his Dad and sisters for a fresh start”, Harry repeated what Liam had told him years ago, “It’s not a big deal. People move all the time. It’s normal”.

“Yeah? And you think it’s also normal to have no other friends?” Niall questioned, his eyes boring into Harry’s, “Is it normal that he hangs out with you every single weekend since you met?”

Harry frowned. Sure, Liam didn’t have many…okay, _any_ friends other than him but the guy was shy! It was rude of Niall to call him out on it.

Before Harry could make his views known though, Niall spoke again.

“ _Think_ , Harry!” he sounded close to exasperation, “What else happened when you were ten? Right before Liam showed up?”

Harry opened his mouth, about to demand that Niall should stop fooling around and just tell him when it suddenly hit him.

“Louis”, he whispered, thinking of how he had met the grey wolf in the woods that summer, a few weeks before school started up again and Liam transferred here from Wolverhampton.

Niall smiled at him as if he were proud of him for finally getting there. 

“Is Liam…?” Harry frowned, his thoughts going back to lunch when Liam had placed a hand over his mouth without getting burnt, “He’s not a werewolf”.

It wasn’t a question but Niall answered anyway.

“Far from it”, the blonde scoffed, “The Payne family used to work for the Werewolf Senate a couple of generations ago. The Senate trained them to help protect the human population against feral Weres but somewhere along the way, the Paynes decided that any werewolf-human interactions should just not be allowed. They claimed it was only a matter of time before a Were’s control snapped, as if we were some kind of animal that relied on instinct alone. The Senate disagreed with their view so the Paynes took matters into their own hands. They call themselves the Protectors now and they show up wherever they think werewolves are causing humans problems. And if they see us interacting with a human who’s underage, well…let’s just say Papa Payne will be getting a new rug”.

Harry’s mouth fell open because…what?! Was Niall seriously trying to imply that Liam Payne, the boy who was terrified of _spoons_ , could ruthlessly kill a werewolf just for talking to a human under the age of sixteen?

“Think about it, Harry”, Niall continued, sensing Harry’s disbelief, “The Paynes showed up right after you met Louis and he realised you were his…fuck! Uh, never mind that”.

Niall blushed and muttered something under his breath before continuing, “Point is, they showed up out of nowhere and Payne just _happens_ to conveniently trip over your lego tower and then offers to help you rebuild it, securing your friendship. Nothing planned about that, eh?”

“How did you know he…?”

“Because I’ve been fucking watching you, Harry!” Niall waved his arms wildly, as if that would emphasise the point he was trying to make, “I’m one of the pack members who have been assigned to protect you ever since Payne first came into town. The Alpha transferred me out of my old school and sent me here. She was worried he’d try to hurt you”.

“Look, I appreciate you trying to help but Liam would _never_ hurt me”, Harry stated confidently.

Niall huffed out a breath.

“Not before today, maybe”, he finally said, choosing his words carefully, “I’ve been watching him and his family. So have the rest of the pack. Until today, they thought you were just a human the pack had an interest in. They had no idea _why_ but any interest from a werewolf pack puts them on high alert. Payne’s job was probably to protect you against the big bad wolves but now…he saw your necklace, didn’t he?”

Harry was confused but he nodded and Niall grimaced as if his worst fears had been confirmed.

“Now, he knows you’re not just an oblivious human. He’s figured out that you know about werewolves and that you’ve met at least one and that…” he trailed off, glancing at Harry’s necklace.

“And _what_ , Niall?” Harry was losing his temper,his voice growing louder as he vented, “What’s the big secret? Why do people keep telling me half-truths and giving out cryptic clues? You’re standing here, claiming that I’m going to get hurt without giving me a rational reason to believe you! Please tell me what’s going on”.

Niall looked torn between acquiescing to Harry’s demand and sticking to his guns. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, shaking his head, apologetically.

“It’s not my place”, he mumbled.

“Fine”, Harry took a deep breath, trying not to let his anger show, though he was doing a miserable job of it. “If you won’t tell me then I have no reason to listen to you”.

“You have to!” Niall’s eyes widened, as if the possibility of Harry going against his advice hadn’t crossed his mind, “You’re pack! I’m trying to protect you!”

“I’m not a werewolf”, Harry huffed back, “So how could I possibly be a part of your pack?”

Niall looked torn again and Harry turned away, cursing himself for wasting time talking to the blonde.

“Fucking hell!” Niall muttered behind him and Harry tried his best to ignore the rapid footsteps that were catching up with him as he stalked away, “Harry! Listen to me…just…don’t go. For Louis”.

The name caused Harry’s steps to falter slightly. Niall knew Louis. Perhaps he should have figured that out, considering they were both werewolves but it was one thing to suspect and another to actually know.

“Why would Louis care if I met with Liam?” Harry asked, coming to a stop against his better judgement.

“Because he’s a Payne! Now that they’ve found out about how you’re his-” Niall cut himself off quickly, changing tracks yet again, “Louis made me promise I’d protect you from Payne or die trying. I can’t lie to him when he asks me where you are and I assure you, he _will_ come after you. If him and Payne run into each other, it’s not going to end well”.

“He’d try to hurt Liam?” 

Niall’s blue gaze caught his, strangely serious. 

“One of them will definitely get hurt. Payne can be just as dangerous when he wants to be”.

Harry gave a borderline hysterical laugh though nothing about the topic under discussion was funny. In fact, he was struggling not to faint at the thought of Liam hurting someone. Hurting the grey wolf who Harry still spent his nights dreaming about. 

“Just…tell Louis to stay away. Liam won’t hurt me”, Harry finally said but his confidence at his own prediction was starting to weaken.

Until today, Harry hadn’t known Liam knew anything about werewolves. It was only natural for him to question just how much Liam had kept from him; just how much Liam had lied; just how far Liam was willing to go to make his father proud.

“Louis won’t listen to me”, Niall’s frustration shone through his words, “When it comes to you, he won’t listen to anyone! Not even the Alpha. He’s locked up right now because of his rut but if he thinks you’re in danger, he’ll find a way to break out. None of us will be able to stop him”.

“You make absolutely zero sense! You think he’s going to show up in front of Liam who, according to you, hurts werewolves that speak to humans?” Harry’s own voice was getting louder as his annoyance grew.

“Yes!” Niall exclaimed, “Louis’ an idiot when it comes to you! That’s exactly what he’ll do!”

“Which brings me back to my initial question. Why does Louis care so much about me?” Harry started walking again, not expecting an answer.

“Because you’re _mates_!” Niall shouted back, breathing a sigh of relief when Harry stopped walking and turned around. He bit his lip the moment he realised what he’d said.

“Fuck!” he muttered, “I’m going to be put on laundry duty for _months_ for telling you that”.

“Mates”, Harry repeated the word, his face pale and uncertain, “What does that…how is…huh?”

Niall sighed, as if resigned to his own fate.

“Right. Well, may as well tell you all I know now. Not that I know all that much. I haven’t found my mate yet so…”

Niall cleared his throat, getting back on topic.

“You and Louis Tomlinson are mates. He’s the future Alpha of the Tomlinson pack. The necklace is his way of letting other Weres know that you’re his but it’ll also protect you until you’re old enough to be claimed by him. As long as you’re wearing that necklace, you carry Louis’ scent on you, which both keeps him calm and stops other werewolves from coming near you. Other than our pack, of course”.

Harry knew his mouth had fallen open. At this point, he didn’t particularly care as his mind was preoccupied with trying to make sense of everything Niall was saying. He was the mate of an Alpha werewolf?! How had this become his life?

Harry felt his breathing getting shallower. Then, Niall was right in front of his face, inches away but careful not to touch him as he repeated, “Listen to me, Harry. You’ve got to understand this. Louis would _never_ hurt you, no matter what Payne or anyone else says. None of us would. We physically _can’t_! You’re pack and no one in the pack would be stupid enough to challenge the future Alpha’s mate”.

Harry might have nodded but he was too busy focusing on not fainting to notice.

“The pack’s been keeping an eye on you ever since Louis told the Alpha about you being human. It’s not that rare for a werewolf to have a human mate, apparently. Mind you, I was shocked when I first found out but he talks about you like you hung the moon or something! Wouldn’t shut up for a month about you saving that goal during the footie team’s practice match”.

Harry started to wonder just how long Louis Tomlinson had been watching him for. He had only helped Liam practice football once and that had been during the weekend in his own backyard. His thoughts went back to the claw marks on the oak tree. Had Harry seen Louis and not recognised him in his human form? Surely he would have! Those electric blue eyes had haunted his dreams for years. No, he hadn’t seen Louis because Louis didn’t want to be seen. At least, not yet.

“Payne knows enough about us to understand what the necklace means”, Niall continued, oblivious to Harry’s epiphany, “He knows a werewolf’s placed a temporary claim on you and you’ve got another thing coming if you think he’s gonna let that claim become permanent. It stands against everything he’s ever been taught”.

“Wh..what do you mean?” Harry stammered, feeling as if the world he once knew was crashing down and burning around him.

“I mean, Protectors are completely fine when werewolves mate with our own kind but when a human comes into the equation, they suddenly ignore Were rights. They can’t legally keep a werewolf away from his or her mate but, until a human reaches the age of consent, a Were can’t claim their mate either. Protectors generally manage to convince, negotiate or blackmail human mates until they agree to reject the werewolf who wishes to claim them. Who cares if a Were never loves again, right? That’s none of their concern”, Niall’s voice had turned bitter by the end of his speech and Harry really couldn’t blame him.

It sounded like a horrible thing for anyone to do but he was still having difficulty associating the monsters Niall was describing to puppy-eyed Liam! Surely, the pack had made some kind of mistake? Liam _couldn’t_ be a Protector!

“Sometimes”, Niall added, his voice a whisper now, “Sometimes they even kill the particularly stubborn werewolves. Especially if the human refuses to reject their mate. Protectors don’t understand how the mate bond works or maybe they just don’t care”.

Harry knew his face had turned even paler and that his eyes were wide.

“The Alpha knew that as soon as the Paynes moved into town and you started hanging out with their son, you had to be protected. She decided the best form of protection was to keep you oblivious to the bond”.

“Bond?” Harry’s voice was barely a whisper, his mind struggling to take in so much information at once.

“The mate bond”, Niall explained, “When you first met Louis, didn’t you feel something deep inside? A compulsion of sorts to be near him? To comfort him?”

Harry couldn’t disagree.

Niall nodded and continued, “He feels the same way. It’s more than just a crush. It’s a bond werewolves only ever feel with one person in their lifetime. It’s special”. 

He sounded almost wistful for a moment before he became serious again.  
“I only told you this, Harry, because you need to understand how important it is to stay away from Payne. You might think he’s a friend but for Protectors, duty comes first. It’s in his blood. The Alpha told us not to tell you about the bond until you were sixteen because she didn’t want Liam to find out until you were of age and able to make your own decision. She didn’t want to give him time to poison your mind against Louis and the pack”, Niall finished.

Harry shook his head, slowly, unable and unwilling to understand what he had just heard.

“Liam’s not like that”, he insisted, “He wouldn’t do something like that to me. He wouldn’t hurt me”.

“Can you be sure of that, Harry?”, Niall asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft, “How well do you _really_ know Liam Payne, the Protector?”

Unbidden, Harry’s mind reminded him that Liam normally wouldn’t ask him to skip class or meet him in an abandoned building. Shit!

Niall must have seen the dawning realisation on Harry’s face for he repeated, “Stay away from Payne, Harry. He might not physically hurt you but I guarantee he wouldn’t think twice about hurting Louis if he comes near you. It’s your call to make but it’s not just you it affects”.

Harry watched the blonde boy turn around and walk back into school. He sat there, just outside the school gates and thought about all he had heard. He thought about Jay and Zayn and Niall and Liam. But, most of all, he thought about Louis. His _mate_.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry finds out more about Liam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm always so completely amazed by the amount of kudos and beautiful comments I get for my fics! You are all lovely and you deserve this longer chapter as an update. Hope it doesn't disappoint <3 xx

Harry had no idea how to face his…friend?…in light of Niall’s revelations. 

A part of him firmly refused to believe that Liam was anything other than what he said he was but another part of him was busy analysing all the inconsistencies in Liam’s story- how he had moved into town right after Harry met Louis (and really, what had made Mr.Payne choose _this_ tiny rural town out of all the places he could have moved his family to?); how he’d fallen over his Lego blocks and offering to rebuild the whole thing for Harry; how he’d asked Harry at the end of his first week at school if he could come over for a sleepover that Friday. Those Friday sleepovers had become a tradition since then and the older they had gotten, the more insistent Liam had become about having them. 

Harry had always thought it was because the boy was scared of losing their friendship as they grew up but now, he started to wonder if there had been another reason behind the sleepovers in the first place. Had Liam been trying to keep Harry from meeting Louis again? Had he been _guarding_ the house against werewolves?

Now that he thought about it, Harry remembered how worried Liam had been two years ago, when he had to go to a Boy Scout’s camp for the week and leave Harry alone.

 

“You’ll be staying in all weekend, right?” Liam had asked him, eyes nervously flickering around Harry’s room.

“Yes, for the _tenth_ time, Liam! I’ll be watching movies, annoying Gemma and eating junk food all weekend. Oh, and moping about how my best friend left me alone with nothing but a plant for company”, Harry joked, gesturing towards the small potted plant that now resided on the window sill of his room.

Liam had bought it for him last week as an apology for not being around this weekend. Harry had tried to tell him it was fine but his friend had insisted he take the plant so he did. It was now sprouting buds of yellow and Harry imagined it would look beautiful when it was in full bloom.

“What was it called again?” he asked as he tried to remember the Latin name Liam had told him.

“ _Aconitum lycoctonum_ ” Liam answered, without missing a beat, “That reminds me. Make sure you water it once a day, right before you go to bed, if possible. And keep it close to the window so it gets enough sunlight. And-”

“Liam”, Harry interrupted his friend’s nervous speech, “I know how to look after a plant. I helped Mum plant the vegetable garden when I was nine”.

“Okay, good”, Liam cracked a small smile but his eyes still appeared to be worried, “Just…be careful this week, okay? Don’t talk to any strangers. I won’t be here to keep an eye out”.

“Right, because this town is _so_ dangerous”, Harry stated, sarcastically.

“You’d be surprised”, Liam muttered under his breath before throwing Harry a weak grin, “You know me. I’m a compulsive worrier”.

It was that very week that Jay had turned up outside Harry’s house and given him the necklace…almost as if she had been waiting for Liam to leave.

 

“Coincidence”, Harry murmured to himself now despite not truly believing his own words.

That hadn’t been the only strange event to occur. Over the last five years of their friendship, Harry had never been invited over to Liam’s house. Not once. He knew his friend had two older sisters who had already moved out of their dad’s house but Harry had never actually met anyone in the family. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time but he was starting to realise how weird a fact that was for two people who were supposedly best friends. 

He recalled asking Liam about it once.

_  
“Gemma’s having her friends over on Friday. Can’t we go to your place instead?” Harry had asked, not wanting to hang around when his older sister was with her group._

_He had a feeling she didn’t really want her dorky, younger brother lounging about the house._

_“Uh…that’s not the best idea”, Liam had answered, shifting his gaze away from Harry, “My Dad’s home”._

_“Why’s that matter?” Harry had asked, confused._

_“He doesn’t like to be interrupted when he’s working and he’s got a few of his work colleagues coming over this week so we can’t hang around the house anyway”, Liam had explained, almost hastily._

_Harry had nodded at the time and let it go.  
_

 

“Oh God”, he sighed now and ran a hand over his curly hair, tugging at it with frustration.

Clearly, Liam had been hiding something and Harry had just been too oblivious to notice until Niall had pointed it out. He felt like an idiot!

Meeting up with Liam in an abandoned warehouse suddenly sounded less and less wise. Then, there was Louis to think about. Louis…his mate. Niall had sounded so confident when he said Louis would come looking for him if he met up with Liam. Whether Liam was a Protector or not, the thought of potentially putting Louis in danger didn’t sit well with Harry. 

Still, he _had_ to find out if Niall had spoken the truth. After all, Harry’s mum had taught him to never judge an apple by the tree it fell from. Just because Liam’s dad might be a Protector, didn’t necessarily mean that Liam followed the same mindset, right?

As Harry pondered over what to do, his hand subconsciously moved to the silver necklace around his neck. One of his fingers traced over the name that was scratched on the back.

The moment he realised what he was doing, he knew his decision had been made. Harry shook off the last of his curiosity and headed towards his own house, determined to avoid Liam. At least for the time being.

______________________________________ 

 

Harry had skipped dinner and gone straight to his room once he’d gotten home from school. He had been lying in his bed, watching the moonlight filter in through the open window and trying to think of ways to avoid Liam at school tomorrow, when he heard the voices.

They came floating up to him, hissed whispers that were clearly not meant for his ears. So, of course, he got curious and slipped out of his bed, walking towards the bedroom window.

Harry placed himself in such a way that whoever was outside couldn’t see him but he could see them. He glanced down tentatively to see two figures standing a few metres away from his bedroom window.

They weren’t looking his way, too busy staring at each other, bodies appearing tense as if they were forcefully holding themselves back. 

“What are you doing here?” a familiar male voice, that Harry immediately recognised as Liam, asked.

Harry strained his eyes to make out who Liam’s companion was. He had to bite down on his own hand to stop the gasp of surprise from escaping him when he saw that it was Zayn. The boy was still wearing his leather jacket. His earring glinted in the moonlight and between his long, tanned fingers, he held a lit cigarette.

“I could ask you the same question, Protector”, Zayn said, looking dangerously cool and collected as he placed the cigarette in his mouth and inhaled languidly, “Let me guess. You’re trying to gift your friend more wolfsbane plants?”

Harry shot an incredulous at the yellow plant that he still kept by his bedside. _That_ had been why Liam gave him the plant? To keep werewolves away?

Liam looked guilty but all he did was ask, “How did you know about that?”

“Louis”, Zayn replied as if that explained everything.

“He tried to climb into Harry’s room?!” 

“It was right after he had turned sixteen. He’s got better self-control now. You’re avoiding the question. What are you up to?” 

“What I do is none of your business!” Liam snapped and Harry had never heard his friend use such a harsh tone of voice, “ _You_ , on the other hand, shouldn’t be anywhere near Harry”.

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you, babe”, Zayn chuckled but Liam’s face only darkened further in response.

Harry caught the reflection of something in Liam’s hand. He nearly screamed when he saw that his friend was holding a small dagger, wielding it in front of him with the tip pointed directly at the werewolf. From the confident way he was holding it, Harry could tell he was familiar with weapon handling.

“Your dad’s still keeping an eye on Harry, then?” Zayn questioned, eyes remaining on Liam’s face despite the weapon that was positioned between them.

“Yes and so am I”, Liam hissed back, “It took me a while to figure out exactly why your pack was so interested in him. I should have known really. It seems the werewolves in this town have an affinity for finding human mates who aren’t interested in them”.

“You don’t have the right to speak for Harry”, Zayn replied, his face darkening slightly, “And we don’t _find_ our mates. It’s pre-destined, decided by our biology. We don’t have anymore choice in the matter than you do”. 

Liam ignored Zayn’s words, continuing on as if the wolf hadn’t spoken.

“Justify it all you want but the fact of the matter is, Harry’s human _and_ he’s underage. Your future Alpha isn’t going to touch a hair on his head. Not if I can help it”.

Harry knew his heart was beating fast and loud. Niall had been right! Liam was…he was a Protector. 

He couldn’t have moved back to bed now if his life depended on it, frozen as he watched the scene play out below him.

“Louis would never _do_ anything until Harry turned sixteen. And even then, only with his consent. We may be wolves but we’re not monsters”, Zayn stated, his lips in a thin line as he took another puff of his cigarette.

“That’s not a chance Protectors are willing to take. I won’t wait until it’s too late to save Harry”.

“Really?” Zayn still seemed unconcerned by the topic at hand but his eyes had sharpened considerably, “So you would rather deny your friend his chance at true love, at happiness, than accept that he’s Louis’ mate?”

“Harry’s young”, Liam spoke through gritted teeth, “He’s easily influenced. I’m not going to let your pack corrupt him and make him think he needs to acknowledge his _mate_ to find true happiness. That’s a load of bullshit!”

Zayn’s answering chuckle was dark.

“Sometimes, I wonder who you’re really trying to convince. Harry or yourself? Do you ever stop to wonder whether you’re just projecting your own fears onto him?” Zayn’s eyes were heavy with something Harry couldn’t recognise.

“Fuck you! This has _nothing_ to do with me!” Liam almost shouted back, catching himself just in time to lower his voice to a more acceptable volume.

Harry wondered what Liam meant by that. He saw the boy hesitate and then, almost as if the words had spilled out without his consent, he whispered, “Can you fucking _stop_ smoking that? It’s going to kill you one of these days”.

Zayn paused in his movement to take another puff of his cigarette and slowly lowered his arm.

“If your father doesn’t, you mean”, he murmured, tilting his head to study the boy who had averted his gaze from him, “So, what are you going to do now? Blackmail Harry? Try to kill Louis? Are you really stupid enough to think the pack would just stand back and let you?”

“I can handle the pack”.

“Pretend all you want, babe”, Zayn’s smirk had no real humour behind it, “Keep believing the lies your Daddy tells you but here’s what he hasn’t told you. Even fully trained Protectors struggle to kill a werewolf. They might have weapons but we’ve got animal instincts. In a one on one battle, we’ll _always_ win. The chances of an inexperienced Protector, especially one who’s squeamish at the sight of blood, taking down a whole pack? I can promise you that’s not going to happen”.

“I’ve known how to shoot a gun since I was thirteen” Liam’s voice had hardened, the dagger in his hand held with a more steady grip, “You’re not as invincible as you think. I promise you, I have the ability to take on an entire pack”.

“Mm. Perhaps”, Zayn threw the barely smoked cigarette on the ground, stubbing it out with the toe of his boot, “But the real question is, can you take _me_ on?”

Harry noticed the way Liam’s hand trembled slightly before the boy managed to steady it again.

“Don’t try me”, he hissed.

“I would never underestimate your abilities, Liam”, Zayn continued, taking a measured step forward, towards the brown-eyed lad, “You may feel prepared to kill a werewolf but are you really prepared to kill your own mate?”

Harry’s eyes went wide with shock but when he glanced down at Liam, there was no shock or surprise on the boy’s face. Liam had _known_!

“Don’t call yourself that”, Liam’s voice only wavered a touch.

“Why not? It’s the truth. You can deny it all you want but you feel it just as much as I do, especially now that you’ve turned sixteen”, Zayn continued.

“ _Don’t!_ ” Liam hissed as the werewolf took another step forward, “I swear I’ll hurt you if you come any closer!”

“Our souls intertwined the moment we first caught sight of each other all those years ago, Li. You’re a part of me and I’m a part of you. Neither of us can change that. So you can tell yourself that you’re a Protector, that your duty comes above your own happiness, that all werewolves are monsters but I know that’s not what you truly believe”.

Liam took a deep, shuddering breath, unable to look the werewolf in the eye.

“You are nothing like your father, babe. You never will be”, Zayn’s voice was softer now, almost pacifying.

“I am _not_ your mate!” Liam nearly growled the words, “You…you’re deluded! I’m a Protector and my duty is to protect Harry from your pack!”

His voice was quieter when he added, “I won’t do what my sisters did. I won’t leave my dad like that”.

“Your sisters formed their own opinions about werewolves and chose their own path. Everyone deserves that chance, Liam. You don’t _owe_ your father anything”.

“No! You don’t get to stand there and tell me that!We’re enemies!” Liam was breathing heavily now, a sign that he was trying to hold back tears.

“So I’ve been told”, Zayn shrugged as if this fact didn’t bother him all that much, “But that hasn’t stopped us before, has it?”

Liam’s face turned red, his eyes shifting to the ground, the trees, anywhere but Zayn.

“Th..that was a mistake. We were just kids. I didn’t mean-”

“To ask me for a kiss while we waited for the bus?”

“I was _twelve_!” Liam retorted, “You were old enough to know better!”

“I might be strong, Liam, but I’m not made of stone. When my mate is begging me for a kiss, denying him is the last thought on my mind”. 

Zayn said it easily, nonchalantly, but his eyes had darkened as they stared at the now blushing lad in front of him.

“You stopped taking the bus after that day”, he added softly, wonderingly, “Was it because you were scared by what you felt?”

Liam’s silence was answer enough.

“I missed sitting with you”, Zayn said quietly and the hard planes of his face softened as he gazed at the brown-eyed lad, “My wolf could hardly bear it”.

“I didn’t…we…I’m not your mate, Zayn”, Liam’s words didn’t sound very convincing, coming out weak and plaintive.

Zayn obviously noticed this too, for he stepped closer.

“If you want me to believe we’re not mates and that you didn’t feel an instant connection when we met, prove it”, Zayn stated, voice deceptively soft, “I’ll leave you alone. I’ll never bother you about this again if you can prove you feel nothing for me”.

Harry could feel Liam’s nervous energy from his room!

“How?” Liam asked, his voice slightly hoarse and, Harry thought, slightly reluctant.

“Hurt me”, Zayn answered and Harry didn’t have to look to know that Liam’s eyes had widened with shock, “With your dagger. It’s silver, isn’t it? So stab me. I won’t try to stop you”.

Liam shivered, the weapon in his hand shaking as Zayn took another step towards him, close enough to touch.

“Don’t…fuck, Zayn! Please don’t”, Liam’s voice came out desperate, nothing like the harsh tone he had used previously.

“Go on, Li. Hurt me. It would make your Daddy proud and you won’t have to freak out over your feelings for me anymore. It’s a win-win situation for you, innit?”

Liam’s sob, when it came, was gut-wrenching.  
“I…I _can’t_ …it..fuck you, you bastard! You _know_ I can’t-”

The weapon dropped from his hand, hitting the cold grass beneath his feet. Zayn reached out for him with a soft whine, unable to stand seeing his mate in pain but Liam stumbled back before Zayn could touch him. The werewolf tilted his head to the side, both hurt and confused for a moment.

“I..I’m wearing…” Liam didn’t seem to be able to get out the words but Zayn clearly got some kind of hint for he closed his eyes and sniffed the air.

When Zayn’s eyes opened again, they were glowing golden with barely contained rage.

“Wolfsbane”, he growled, the sound coming out low and threatening, “ _How_?”

“A…a cologne my dad gave me a while back”, Liam said, quietly, “He wanted me to be safe while I was with Harry”.

“You suspected I would show up tonight?” Zayn’s voice was still a low growl.

Liam’s voice was almost a whisper when he replied, “I hoped. I needed to…warn you without…distractions”.

Zayn raised an eyebrow in question.

“Dad’s planning an attack. I didn’t tell him who Harry’s mate was but he knows it’s someone from your pack. The moment he realises your pack’s already established contact with Harry, you’ll have Protectors storming your pack house”, Liam’s voice sounded pained. “That’s why I came here tonight. To try and convince Harry to reject Louis so no one gets hurt. I know it’s not the best way but it’s the only way I could think of”.

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me all these years, Li? To stop me from getting hurt?”

“I…can’t be..I don’t want to be the reason for your pain, Zayn. My dad’s a Protector. I was raised to be one. I can _hurt_ you far too easily!”

Zayn didn’t even hesitate as he said, “Love’s worth getting hurt for, Liam”. 

“Zayn-” Liam began, voice tired but the werewolf cut across him.

“Mates don’t give up on each other, Liam. That’s not how this works. No amount of physical pain I endure can compare to the pain I’ll feel if you reject me”, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, “I..sorry. Just…go home. Get some sleep. Things will work out”.

“What about Harry?” Liam asked, biting his lip, hands shoved in his jeans’ pockets as he watched the wolf in front of him with what Harry recognised as longing. 

It was probably the way he looked when he thought about Louis.

“I think Harry knows more than you realise”, Zayn answered, shooting a quick glance up at Harry’s window with a knowing smile on his face. 

Harry frowned, trying not to pout. He had thought he was being sneaky but Zayn seemed to have known he was there the whole time. Stupid werewolves and their super senses!

Zayn had turned away when Liam spoke again, voice wavering, “I read a book last year about…something called knotting? Is..is that true? Do werewolves have…”

Harry _really_ wished he hadn’t been listening into this conversation but before he could try and move away from the window, Zayn spoke.

“Would you like to find out, babe? Can I interest you in a hands-on experience, perhaps?”

Liam’s eyes widened, his breath coming out in short, panicked gasps.

“I wasn’t…I didn’t mean…that’s not…” he stammered, face red with mortification.

Zayn’s answering smile could only be described as wolfish.

“Don’t worry, Li. I won’t touch you tonight”.

Liam let out a sigh, whether of relief or disappointment, Harry couldn’t tell.

“I won’t touch you because I can’t”, Zayn continued, “Not while you’re wearing that cologne. But make no mistake, Liam, I _want_ to. You have no fucking clue how much I want to”.

Liam whimpered, the sound so soft Harry wasn’t entirely sure if he had imagined it or not.

“Why?” Liam’s question showed his confusion.

“Because you’re mine”, Zayn replied, eyes catching and holding Liam’s uncertain gaze, “I’m willing to wait for you, for as long as it takes for you to accept the truth of what we are, to gain the courage to stand up to your father. Weeks, months, years. I’ll wait. But you _are_ mine, Liam. Never forget that”.

Harry thought the conversation was over but then Liam whispered, so quiet that Harry would have missed it had it not been for the eerily silent night air, “I still have your token. The batman badge. I didn’t know what it meant when you gave it to me”.

Some of the tension seemed to drain out of Zayn and it took Harry a moment to realise the token Liam was talking about probably served the same function as Louis’ necklace for Harry. A wolf’s claim. A wolf’s promise.

“When you’re ready”, Zayn murmured, softly, “I’d love to see you wear it, Batman”.

For the first time this night, Liam let out a soft chuckle, something about the nickname bringing back what, Harry assumed, were pleasant memories of simpler days.

Harry watched as Zayn gave Liam one last smile before shifting and vanishing into the surrounding woods. Liam stood in the front yard for a few more minutes before finally heaving a tired sigh, picking up his discarded dagger and walking away, towards his own house. 

Harry slowly made his way back to bed, trying to process everything he had heard. Liam was Zayn’s mate and, from what Harry could make out, they both wanted to be together. So what was stopping them? Was it Liam’s sense of ‘duty’ as a Protector? Or was it something more? Something that involved Liam’s father?

Zayn’s words came back to him:

 _Love’s worth getting hurt for_.

As he threw the yellow plant he now knew to be wolfsbane, into the bin, he thought he understood what Zayn meant. Love caused pain but it also caused happiness. You couldn’t have one without the other and Harry decided that he was willing to put up with both, no matter what the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...who saw that coming? As always, comments make my day so please leave one!  
> Also, for those that are wondering, Louis will make an appearance in the next chapter because I miss him :) xx


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos! This chapter is extra long so consider it my late Christmas present to you all ;)  
>  **A quick warning** \- although there’s no actual sex as Harry is still underage in this chapter, there is a small mention of things of a sexual nature/suggestive behaviour/teasing. If this makes you uncomfortable, please take care when reading :)

“I know”, Harry stated, marching up to Liam’s locker the next morning.

“Know what?” Liam asked with a frown. 

He looked so damn _innocent_ that Harry would have been confused had he not witnessed the scene outside his window last night.

“About you being a Protector”, Harry hissed, “ _And_ about you being Zayn’s mate”.

Liam, who had worn a rather indifferent look at the first comment, suddenly had a look of panic on his face. His eyes frantically shifted behind Harry, gulping when they landed on something. 

Harry turned around to see what he was looking at and spotted a pale-faced, blue-eyed boy who was staring at Liam with unconcealed horror. Niall.

“Fuck”, Liam gritted out, grabbing Harry by the wrist and dragging him out of the school’s front doors. 

Harry glanced behind him to see Niall hadn’t moved form his spot, watching them as if he were still processing Liam’s words, which…

“He didn’t _know_?” Harry gasped.

Liam ignored him and instead, pulled him along an unfamiliar path towards the back of the school.

As they got closer to Liam’s intended destination, Harry realised where they were going. It was common knowledge that the shed behind the gym was the place for people to go to when they wanted to sneak in a smoke without teachers catching them. Harry himself had never gone there…until now. 

“Liam!” Harry protested when his friend bodily shoved him into the dusty shed, pulling the door shut behind them.

“You had no right to tell Horan that”, Liam’s voice was dangerously cold in a way he hadn’t heard before, “Do you have any idea how much danger you’ve put Zayn in with his pack?”

“I didn’t _mean_ to…”

“Horan’s probably going to tell the Alpha”, Liam continued, pulling at his own hair with fearful eyes, “What if they kick Zayn out of the pack? I know I lied to you but I can’t fucking believe you’d do something like this for revenge!”

“I wasn’t…” Harry began, getting more and more confused by the second.

Why was this such a big deal when Zayn and Liam were mates? 

“Would you like to go and tell my Dad as well?” Liam fumed, “It’s not like it’s going to make much of a difference now! Once Zayn loses his mind from lack of contact with his pack, it’s probably going to be an act of mercy to end his sufferin-”

“Liam!” Harry snapped out, “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

He ignored Liam’s snort of disbelief.

“And yes, I’m angry at you but I would _never_ wilfully put you or Zayn in danger. So can you please stop yelling at me and explain! How come Niall doesn’t know yet? You and Zayn met as kids, right? So-”

“Just how much of our conversation did you decide to eavesdrop on?” Liam’s voice had risen but so had Harry’s temper.

Sure, he had accidentally revealed the nature of Liam and Zayn’s relationship to a member of Zayn’s pack who, apparently, had no idea what had been going on but Liam wasn’t exactly innocent himself.

“I’m not going to apologise for overhearing a conversation that was held below _my window_!” Harry retorted, “I’m not the one who lied to his best friend for years and tricked him into keeping wolfsbane in his room!”

“I was trying to protect you!”

“Louis would never hurt me!”

“Louis…oh God!” Liam closed his eyes briefly, as if pained, before grabbing Harry by the shoulder and giving him a rough shake, “Harry, you don’t seriously believe all this shit about mates and destiny, do you? We’re _human_! Are you really going to sign your life over to a Were just because he claims you’re his one and only? You’re just going to take him at his word?”

Harry shook his head, fixing Liam with a glare.  
“It’s not about what he says, Liam. It’s about how I _feel_! Even before I knew all this stuff about mates, I felt drawn to Louis. It’s…well, you know. You feel the same way about Zayn”.

“No, I don’t”, Liam immediately refuted but it only made him sound defensive.

“Then why did you feel the need to warn Zayn about your father’s planned attack?”

“That’s…because I don’t want the death of innocent pack members on my conscience”, Liam said, clearly improvising.

“You refused to hurt him last night”, Harry pointed out.

“Because I’m not a _murderer_ , Harry!” Liam shouted, “Just because my family have taken on the responsibility of protecting humans against Weres, doesn’t mean we hurt or kill without reason”.

“But you said your Dad was planning to attack the pack! Why? Is it because of me? Because Louis’ my-”

“It’s not always about you, you know?” Liam sounded tired all of a sudden, as if he couldn’t keep up the act anymore. “It was…at the beginning, it was about keeping you safe, protecting you from the pack. You were so young, barely eight, so when Dad got sent a message from a girl in this town stating that a kid had been targeted by the local pack, he made us all move down here”.

“Wait…what girl?” Harry asked with a frown.

He hadn’t told a soul about meeting Louis so who could have possibly found out?

“Uh…” Liam tried to recall the name he had heard floating around, “It started with an ‘R’, I think? Or maybe a ‘B’…Betty? Becca? Something like that”.

Harry felt something cold settle in his ribcage.

“It wasn’t ‘Rebecca’, was it?” he whispered, heart thudding.

Liam’s eyes lit up with recognition as he nodded.  
“Yeah! That was it! _Rebecca_. Dad found out she was a werewolf too but not a part of the Tomlinson pack”.

Harry blinked, hardly able to believe his ears. Rebecca, the girl who had been Gemma’s friend and his childhood crush, was a werewolf? Not only that, she was the one who had called the Paynes? Harry couldn’t figure out why she’d do something like that!

“It’s rare for wolves to report other packs to Protectors so Dad was certain you were in imminent danger of some kind but when we showed up, you didn’t even seem to be aware of the existence of werewolves”, Liam continued, “What happened to that Rebecca girl, anyway?”

“Sh..she moved out of town…just after Christmas last year”, Harry replied.

The same Christmas, he now realised, when Jay had given him Louis’ necklace. Were the two linked somehow?

“She probably smelt Louis on you the day you two met, which prompted her send a message to Dad”, Liam seemed to sense his thoughts, “To her, it would have seemed as if the Tomlinson pack’s future Alpha was encroaching on her territory”.

“ _What?!_ ” Harry croaked out, “She never even paid me any attention! She only kissed me on the cheek once and that was right after…”

Right after he had met Louis.

“She was scent-marking you,” Liam explained, “Sending a message to the Tomlinson pack that you were under her pack’s protection. Don’t get me wrong! She probably didn’t think of you in a romantic manner, just as her friend’s little brother who, due to your relationship with Gemma, was entitled to her protection. Her instincts would have been telling her to keep you and Gemma as far away from other, non-pack members, as possible”.

“But then…why did she leave after I got the necklace?” Harry asked, his fingers tracing the warm metal that still hung around his neck.

“When you decided to wear Louis’ token, it was a sign that you had accepted your place as his mate. It meant your allegiance had changed and the Tomlinson pack were now entitled to offer you their protection”.

“They did”, Harry remembered that night, “Jay came to see me and told me I could call on her for help if I needed it”.

Liam nodded as if this all made perfect sense.

“They’re one of the strongest packs in the country. My guess is, Rebecca’s pack decided to leave you well alone so they didn’t accidentally end up offending the Tomlinsons and incurring the wrath of their Alpha.”

Wow. That was…not what he had been expecting. 

“You seem to know a lot about this”, Harry said, suspiciously.

Liam shot him a guilty look.

“I…did a lot of research before we moved. My Dad decided to make you my first mission as a Protector-in-training. I remember feeling important, wanting to make Dad proud and prove that I could do it. I had it all planned out, right down to the smallest detail.”

Harry tried not to show just how hurt he was. It had been one thing to assume and another to know beyond a doubt that he had never been anything more than a job for Liam.

“I was a kid too, Harry,” Liam continued, “I thought it would be easy to remain emotionally detached…that’s what Dad always taught my sisters and I- never let emotions interfere with a job. But you were just so… _friendly_! You had no idea I was there to protect you, that our friendship was just supposed to be a cover so I could safeguard you better. That first weekend, you let me play with your action figures. You even let me take a couple home with me! Your mum treated me as if I were her own kid and Gemma teased us both the same way. You treated me like family. For the first time in my life, I felt as if I could be a kid, could let my guard down. When I was hanging with you, I was just Liam not Liam Payne, Protector-in-training. At some point over the course of the year, I forgot you were supposed to be a part of my mission. You actually became my friend, the _only_ friend I had at that age. I know apologising isn’t going to change it but I want you to know that, even though our friendship started with deceit, I grew to value it. Our friendship was my refuge, my escape from my Dad’s expectations. Being your friend was the brightest memory of my childhood”.

Harry sighed. It wasn’t easy to stay angry at Liam when he said things like that.

“But you’re still acting as my bodyguard”, Harry felt the need to point out.

“Yes,” Liam answered, “But I’m also your friend. I try to protect you because I care about you”.

It would take time, Harry thought, to earn back the trust and easy friendship they once had but they had both been guilty of keeping secrets and telling half-truths. 

“I’m sorry too”, Harry answered, softly, “I didn’t mean to tell Niall about you and Zayn. I thought the pack would have already known about it. At least Jay-”

Liam winced at that and shook his head.

“It’s…complicated.”

He sighed and ran a hand over his hair as he spoke, “He can’t tell the Alpha about me until I renounce being a Protector”.

“And…you don’t want to?” Harry guessed.

“It’s…it’s not that simple!” Liam muttered, “It’s not just about what I want”.

The brown-eyed boy looked uncomfortable with the discussion at hand and Harry was about to change the subject when Liam suddenly started speaking.

“Zayn and I met under…different conditions to you and Louis. I was eleven and at my first Protector Training Camp. The camp’s always held in the woodlands. There was this…activity… that involved sending us out with tranquilliser guns to practice on animals. It was supposed to improve our reflexes.”

Harry was certain his face had gone pale. He felt queasy even thinking about Liam shooting something- tranquilliser or not! Still, he managed to stay standing and leant against the nearest wall, knowing that Liam needed to speak to someone about all this. It was obvious the lad had bottled up his feelings for a long time and now that he had started talking, he couldn’t seem to stop.

“We were split into groups”, Liam continued, “But I accidentally got separated from mine. I was lost for what felt like hours! The camp wasn’t too far from town and, without meaning to, I managed to cross over into Tomlinson pack territory. That’s when Zayn found me”.

Liam had a faraway look in his eyes as he thought back to that day:

_  
He could feel the wet mud sloshing beneath his boots as he trudged along, the forest trees not doing a thing to stop the rain from pelting onto his head. A part of him wanted to call out for help; wanted to beg the camp counsellors to come and take him back, but he knew that would be considered a sign of weakness for a Protector-in-training._

_Another part of him wanted to throw down the gun and yell that he quit at the top of his lungs but he couldn’t do that either. If his dad heard about it, he’d give Liam one of those disappointed looks and threaten to send him off to live with his mother until he got “tougher”._

_At times, Liam hated living with his dad but at least he felt as if his life had a purpose here. At his Mum’s, he just felt as if he were being a burden; a mismatched puzzle piece that didn’t fit into her perfect new life._

_“Come on, Liam. You can do this!” he murmured to himself as he forced his aching feet to take another, painful step._

_His tranquilliser gun was a heavy weight in his hand as it dragged along the ground beside him. All he wanted was throw away his weapon and find a warm place to curl up in but Paynes weren’t supposed to do that. His family, as his dad was so fond of saying, were Protectors who could outlast, outmatch and outwit even the fastest werewolf. Sometimes, Liam really wished he hadn’t been born as a Payne._

_Still, at least this camp was nearly over. Tomorrow, he’d be back at school, spending his lunch breaks with Harry and talking about things that didn’t have to do with werewolves and guns._

_He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a growl echoing through the forest. He knew if his dad had been here, he would have drawn his gun, ready to shoot. Liam though, wasn’t his dad and all he could do was whimper “P..please don’t hurt me”, in the general direction of the growl._

_The growl stopped suddenly, as if the creature had taken pity on the crying child. A second later though, a dark-coated form stepped out of the foliage and Liam had to hold back his scream. It was a wolf!_

_The animal looked more terrifying than anything Liam had ever imagined, with sharp fangs and long claws. It was tall too, and deadly silent as it padded closer, eyes never leaving Liam’s form._

_“P..please”, Liam gasped, not caring that he was crying without restrain._

_The wolf growled again and Liam wasn’t sure where the courage came from but he found himself lifting up his weapon and pointing it at the creature._

_The wolf let out a soft snarl but froze, not trying to come any closer._

_Liam’s hand was on the gun’s trigger when he found his gaze locking with the wolf’s, his own brown eyes meeting honeyed-golden irises that looked…afraid. There was something about those eyes that seemed far too human and childish. Nothing like the eyes of a monster._

_Liam hesitated for a second but that was enough. Before he could even contemplate the idea of pulling the trigger, one large paw swept out and knocked the gun from his grasp._

_“Oh my god!” Liam whimpered, stumbling back a few steps in the hope that it would give him some sort of protection, “I’m going to die”._

_The wolf let out a small sound that made it seem as if it were offended by Liam’s presumptions. It padded forward and, much to Liam’s surprise, knelt down, tilting its head as if it were waiting for Liam to make a move._

_He wasn’t sure what made him do it but he was tired and hungry and reaching out to pet the wolf’s warm fur seemed like a natural choice to make. The wolf rumbled approvingly, its tongue slipping out to give Liam’s wrist a soft lick._

_Then, the wolf began tugging on Liam’s shirt with his teeth until the younger boy got the hint and clambered up onto the wolf’s broad shoulders._

_“I’m lost”, Liam explained and the wolf made a noise of acknowledgement._

_He had walked for what had seemed to be hours but the wolf only ran, with Liam clinging to his back, for a few minutes before they reached a location Liam recognised._

_“This is a couple of minutes away from our campsite!” he exclaimed, feeling almost disappointed when the wolf came to a halt and knelt down so the boy could dismount._

_“I…thank you”, Liam whispered, feeling suddenly shy around the helpful wolf._

_The creature tilted its head to the side, as if it were trying to puzzle Liam out, before leaning in and giving his cheek a lick. Liam took that to mean, “You’re welcome”._

_“Liam? Is that you?” one of the camp counsellor’s voices made him look towards the clearing where their tents had been set up._

_By the time he turned back, the black wolf was gone.  
_

“I never forgot that meeting”, Liam told Harry now, “I kept dreaming about seeing him again…and then I did”.

_  
Liam wasn’t nervous about taking the school bus on his own. It was just that, he usually had one of his sisters accompanying him. He was still sad about how Ruth had publicly renounced the Payne legacy of becoming a Protector at the age of eighteen and had decided to leave their father’s house and make a living for herself in another city._

_His seventeen year old sister, Pat, had followed in her elder sibling’s footsteps and the two had hugged Liam and promised him they’d keep in touch before walking out the door._

_They had also told him not to let their decisions influence his own which, Liam figured, was their way of asking him to stay with his dad._

_Getting on the school bus without Pat next to him was a frightening prospect but there was no way he would ever admit that to anyone!_

_He wasn’t sure what to expect as he got on the bus but none of his plans had included tripping over someone’s abandoned school bag in the aisle and falling into the lap of a stranger._

_“Sorry!” Liam gasped out as a pair of hands came around his waist to steady him, “I wasn’t watching where I was going”._

_He looked up with an apologetic gaze but didn’t expect to see a familiar pair of golden-brown eyes staring back at him._

_“Need a seat?” the boy, who looked as if he were at least fourteen, offered, sliding closer to the window and leaving the aisle seat free for Liam._

_The bus gave a warning jolt as it continued on its journey and Liam decided it was wise to slip into the seat next to the raven-haired lad before he ended up losing balance again._

_“Thanks”, he murmured, wondering if the older boy remembered their first meeting._

_Liam wasn’t an idiot. He had memorised the books in his dad’s library. He could recognise a werewolf when he saw one, especially when those eyes were burned into his memory._

_“Don’t mention it”, the boy answered, turning his head away towards the window._

_Liam’s plan was to ignore him until they got to school and then to get off the bus as fast as possible but, much to his own annoyance, he found his gaze constantly drawn to the lad._

_At first, it had just been genuine curiosity as to why the wolf was wearing a leather jacket that was most definitely not a part of the school uniform. Then, Liam started to wonder how the boy kept his quiff from wilting in this stormy weather. At some point during the bus ride, he stopped thinking and just stared at the lad, subconsciously memorising the features of his face._

_Nothing about him screamed ‘friendly’ and yet, Liam didn’t feel frightened of him. He looked away with a red face when the wolf turned his head and caught his gaze._

_Just as the awkwardness was getting to the point where Liam started to contemplate actually jumping off the bus, the boy cleared his throat and said, “My name’s Zayn”._

_And, because Liam had no sense of self-preservation, he felt the need to blurt out, “Of which pack?”_

_Zayn tensed next to him for barely a second before letting out an almost relieved breath._

_“You know about us then?”_

_“Yeah.” Liam answered, making sure his voice was low enough for none of the other students to catch, “You’re my first”._

_“I meant,” he added hastily when he realised what that had sounded like, “You’re the first Were I’ve seen in real life..not…um..my name’s Liam”._

_Zayn’s laugh, when it came, was surprisingly loud and it seemed to surprise the wolf for he bit down on his bottom lip to stifle it. It made Liam feel warm inside and he found himself wanting to make Zayn laugh more often, just to hear that pure sound of joy._

_“I’m part of the Tomlinson pack”, Zayn said and it hadn’t meant much to Liam, whose only exposure to werewolves was from textbooks._

_The conversation flowed easily between them after that. Zayn didn’t treat him like a little kid. In fact, he was just as emotionally invested in their debate of Iron Man versus Batman, as Liam was!_

_“Batman’s better!” Liam would say and Zayn would counter with an equally passionate, “No way! Iron Man has the gadgets!”_

_“He’s just got a suit. Batman’s got all the cool equipment”, Liam would argue back, and so it continued._

_Despite having just formally met, Liam felt as if he had known Zayn his whole life. Judging from the way the werewolf kept gazing at him, with equal parts fondness and confusion, it seemed as if he felt the same way._

_So, when the bus came to a stop and Zayn told him he didn’t actually go to the same school, Liam thought his feeling of disappointment was reasonable enough._

_“Why were you on our school bus then?” Liam asked with a frown as they both stepped off the bus and onto the pavement._

_Zayn shrugged, scratching the back of his neck as if he were embarrassed._

_“I…uh, I’m homeschooled and…well, sometimes I just feel like being surrounded by people who aren’t pack.”_

_“Oh”, Liam answered, trying not to feel too depressed at the realisation that catching the bus wasn’t a part of Zayn’s daily routine._

_Zayn seemed to sense his emotions though, for he reached out a hand and gently squeezed Liam’s shoulder. It was just a soft, reassuring touch but it made Liam crave for more contact. The thought didn’t scare him half as much as it should have._

_“I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” Zayn asked, smirking when Liam blinked up at him in surprise._

_“You’re going to be on the bus again?”_

_“Well, someone’s got to be there to save you from tripping and bruising that cute face of yours”, Zayn grinned back._

_Liam’s, “Hey!” of indignation was only half-hearted, his brain too busy trying to process the fact that Zayn thought his face was cute._

_If he could have had his way, he would have stood there and talked to Zayn for the rest of the day. As it was, he said a quick goodbye and tried to ignore the feeling of golden eyes watching him as he walked into the school grounds.  
__________________________________

_A month later, their bus meetings had become routine. Zayn always saved him a seat on the bus and sometimes, he even met Liam at the bus stop so they could catch it together._

_Funnily enough though, they had spoken very little about their respective families. It shouldn’t have been a surprise when the topic eventually came up but Liam was still caught off guard._

_“One of my pack members, Niall Horan, goes to your school”, Zayn stated, out of the blue, “Do you know him? Blue eyes, blonde hair, Irish voice? He’s hard to miss”._

_Liam blinked up at him and shook his head._

_“Um…the name sounds familiar? I don’t think I’ve seen him around though.”_

_“Probably ‘cause he’s missed the last couple of days of school”, Zayn huffed, “He broke his arm trying to escape Protectors last weekend and decided to use it as an excuse to skip class!”_

_Liam couldn’t bring himself to laugh. The sinking feeling in his chest grew. He never asked his dad what he did during the weekends with his ‘colleagues’ but he doubted it involved engaging in a friendly game of golf._

_Shit! That was what Paynes did though, wasn’t it? It was what awaited him when he got older- chasing werewolves in their own territory if they posed the slightest hint of a threat to humanity._

_Another doubt niggled at the back of his mind. His dad hadn’t mentioned any specific wolves the Protectors had been ordered to hunt down and from the way Zayn was speaking about this Horan guy, he didn’t sound as if he were a rogue wolf or one that had tried to hurt a human. So why then, had Protectors been sent to try and ambush him?_

_Would this be the fate that awaited whichever pack was interested in Harry? Liam had only been told to keep an eye on Harry and to let his dad know if any werewolf showed an express interest in the boy. He had no clue which pack was supposedly after his friend and he didn’t think he would be entrusted with such information until he was older and had proven himself worthy of being a Protector._

_But…Niall had broken an arm running away from Protectors. To Liam, that sounded like Niall was simply a victim. Was that what Liam was training to be? A bully?_

_Liam didn’t realise his breath had gotten more rapid and his heart had started to race until he felt a cool hand on the nape of his neck, gently rubbing the skin there._

_“Liam? Li? You okay, Batman?” Zayn’s voice and the now familiar nickname, drew him back from the cusp of a panic attack._

_It took him a moment to realise he was clutching at Zayn’s jacket as if the leather could physically ground him to reality but as soon as he noticed, Liam snatched his hand back as if it had been burnt. He wished he hadn’t caught the hurt look in Zayn’s eyes as the wolf removed his own hand from where it had been stroking against Liam’s skin._

_“I have to…I need to…” Liam stammered, desperately trying to think of an excuse but he was stopped in his tracks by Zayn’s voice saying, “Liam, it’s alright. I know”._

_“What?” Liam’s voice was weak as he asked._

_“About you,” Zayn’s voice was softer now, his eyes concerned and assessing Liam’s every reaction, “About your family”._

_“H..how?”_

_“I remember our first meeting. We’d been warned by our Alpha not to leave the pack’s territory because Protectors were holding some sort of training camp nearby but then you showed up, crossing over the territory border without even realising. And when I took you back to that camp…well. I figured out you came from a family of Protectors.”_

_Liam gulped, not knowing how to respond. Why wasn’t Zayn running away from him yet? If he had found out about Liam’s secret, why had he kept meeting him each day?_

_Liam finally settled on asking the one question that nagged him more than any other._

_“Why hasn’t your Alpha stopped you from hanging out with me?”_

_Zayn shrugged and looked out the window of the bus._

_“She doesn’t know about you yet.”_

_His next words were barely a whisper but Liam still caught them._

_“But she couldn’t have stopped me even if she’d tried.”_

_Before Liam could ask him what he meant, Zayn turned back around and pulled something out of his pocket._

_“It’s your birthday next week, right? I got you an early present”, he stated before placing a small, round, badge into Liam’s hand._

_On the other side, was a picture of the Bat Signal._

_“I thought you said Iron Man was better?” Liam asked with a raised eyebrow but he couldn’t hide his thrilled grin._

_“Yeah”, Zayn chuckled, his eyes sparkling, “But the world needs a Batman too”._

_Liam couldn’t explain why he spent the rest of the day smiling._

__

“When…” Harry took a deep breath before asking, “When did you figure out he was in Louis’ pack?”

“He mentioned Louis in a few conversations”, Liam answered, “Told me about how his mate was human. I only realised the human was you when I saw your necklace the other day”.

Harry nodded.

“So you already knew about mates by then?”

“Yeah. It was the day before my thirteenth birthday that Zayn told me about it”, Liam said, softly, almost regretfully, “I’m not going to lie. I had a crush on Zayn. I mean, who wouldn’t? But I was too scared to act on it and then, on that last day, it was pouring with rain and I’d forgotten my umbrella. Zayn offered me his jacket-the one he _never_ takes off- and I just…I asked him to kiss me. The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them and then Zayn was leaning in and…”

Liam had a soft smile on his face that Harry didn’t point out to him.

“What happened then?” he asked instead.

Liam face clouded over with sorrow as he finished his story.

“It hit me that I didn’t want to hurt Zayn. He’d told me about what being a mate meant but I _couldn’t_ be that for him! I was a future Protector. Zayn wanted to introduce me to the pack and I…I freaked out”.

“You were scared of him?” Harry asked, confused.

“No,” Liam’s voice had gone down to a whisper now, “I was scared of what I _felt_ for him…what he felt for me. On my thirteenth birthday, my Dad gave me a gun as a present. That’s who I was supposed to be. A Protector. Being friends with Zayn was dangerous enough. The thought of being anything more was…he didn’t care though! I told him I wasn’t his mate and he told me I could lie to myself but not to him. I pointed out that I’d gotten a gun for my birthday and he said he’d be honoured to act as my target if I needed practice. Who even says something like that?!”

“Someone who loves you,” Harry stated, softly, “Someone who cares about your happiness more than their own. Your soulmate”.

Liam scrubbed a hand over his eyes while Harry tactfully pretended not to see the wet glimmer in them.

““I…I’ve never actually hurt a werewolf before”, Liam whispered, his voice shaking, “That doesn’t mean I’m not capable of it though. I _can’t_ be his mate because I have the potential to hurt him. Badly”.

Harry studied his friend for a moment, watching the way Liam’s eyes shifted away from him and focused on the ground.

“Have you ever really wanted to hurt a Were, Liam?” he asked, quietly.

Liam opened his mouth, took a breath as if to speak but then paused. 

“I…I don’t know”, his voice sounded miserable when he spoke, “My Dad…he’s always told me how to live my life. That I should follow the Protector’s rulebook, that I should remember werewolves are monsters, that…that mates don’t exist”.

“Forget what your Dad believes, Li. What do _you_ believe?” Harry waited.

Liam took a shuddering breath and shook his head.

“It..it doesn’t matter, Harry. My life’s been planned out for me. When I turn 18, I take over as Head Protector of the Payne family. Killing werewolves will be my job and there’s nothing I can do to change that”.

“You can say no”, Harry answered and Liam’s eyes widened in shock.

“I _can’t_! My Dad’s…he’s terrifying. He wouldn’t just take ‘no’ for an answer! If he ever found out that Zayn was my mate, he’d hunt down the entire pack!” 

Liam didn’t seem to notice that he’d just confirmed Zayn’s words from last night- that they were mates.

“They’re werewolves, Li. They can protect themselves against your dad.”

“And what would I even do on my own?” Liam continued, ignoring Harry’s words, “I’d be lost!”

“You wouldn’t be on your own”, Harry reminded him, “Not if you didn’t want to be. Zayn would never leave you and the pack would take you in. 

Liam gave a self-deprecating laugh at that.

“Right,” he scoffed, “A werewolf pack welcoming me with open arms after finding out I’m the son of one of the most notorious Protectors of the decade. I can see that working out splendidly!”

“You can’t choose your family, Liam.” Harry said, “It’s beyond your control. I can’t see Jay holding that against you”.

Liam took a deep, shuddering breath, not even pretending to wipe away the tears that were now falling down his cheeks.

“Zayn…he doesn’t care if I’m a Protector or not but his Alpha would never let me get near him if she found out.”

“Liam,” Harry said, patiently, “There’s a huge difference between being a Protector and being born into a family of Protectors. If you don’t want to follow in your dad’s footsteps, I’m certain the pack would help you”.

Liam seemed to ponder over that for a minute before he let out a wet chuckle.

“When did you get so smart?” he asked, a shaky grin on his face despite the tears.

Harry grinned, shaking his head.

“I always was. Smarter than you, anyway”, he joked.

Liam let out a bark of laughter before reaching for Harry and pulling him into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry”, he whispered into the younger boy’s ear, “For trying to keep the pack away from you. A part of it was me being selfish”.

“What? How?” Harry asked, letting Liam hold onto him.

In a way, they both needed the comfort and security that their friendship had always brought them.

“I didn’t want my dad to figure out the reason the pack were interested in you was because you were Louis’ mate”, Liam answered, “I wasn’t certain that was the reason myself, but I had my suspicions. If Dad found out though, he wouldn’t have thought twice about attacking and…”

Liam trailed off, hugging him tighter.

Harry sighed, figuring out what the lad was trying to say.

“You were scared he’d hurt Zayn”.

“Louis is Zayn’s future Alpha. Zayn would do anything to protect him…including taking a bullet for him”, Liam sighed, “That doesn’t make what I did any less wrong but that was my reasoning at the time”.

“It’s okay”, Harry murmured back, “Besides, you’re not the only one who wanted to keep Louis away from me”.

Harry was thinking of Jay insisting he not know the truth until he was sixteen, of Louis sending him the necklace, of Zayn backtracking the moment he realised Harry’s age.

Liam pulled back from the hug to give Harry a baffled look.

“You do know why they didn’t want you to tell you about the mate bond until you were sixteen, don’t you?”

Harry shrugged. His best guess was that Louis didn’t want to be tied down to a kid who was 3 years younger than him, so early in life.

Some of his thoughts must have shown on his face for Liam tugged at one of his curls to draw his attention back to him.

“Let me put it this way. Zayn’s wanted to…um, _establish_ our bond ever since he turned sixteen but he’s not an Alpha so the urge isn’t as strong.”

At Harry’s blank look, Liam huffed out an exasperated breath and continued, “It’s harder for an Alpha to control their instincts, especially when they’re in rut. Please tell me you’ve done some research on what rut is at least!”

Harry had. He just didn’t understand what that had to do with…oh! _Ohhh_. Shit! How the hell had he been so oblivious?

“Fuck!” Harry breathed.

“Yeah, that’s a big part of it”, Liam nodded, casting a worried glance at Harry, who wore a look of terrified realisation.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Harry”, Liam continued, “If you’re not sure you want to go through with it, I could lend you some of that wolfsbane cologne I have. It’ll keep him from coming near you”.

“I don’t need that”, Harry answered, feeling uncomfortable at just the prospect of it.

It’s not that he didn’t want to have sex with Louis, it’s just that he didn’t actually even know what the guy looked like! 

What was he supposed to do? Bind himself to a werewolf without ever actually getting a chance to get to know him? Was that how the mate bond worked?

Liam’s look of concern didn’t waver.

“There’s a reason you were given that necklace”, his friend pointed out, reaching out to tap the silver ornament with a finger, “An Alpha can be dangerous, more so than any other werewolf. _Especially_ if he thinks his mate might be considering rejecting him”. 

“I’m _not_ considering that!” Harry had to fight his immediate instinct, which was to slap Liam’s hands away from the necklace. “And I’m not afraid of Louis. I know he would never hurt me”.

“Not even your mate is certain he can control himself around you”, Liam argued, reaching out a hand to squeeze Harry’s shoulder, “I’m not my Dad, Harry, but if he tries to force you into doing something you don’t want, I won’t have any choice but to stop him. I’m not going to let him hurt you”.

Harry opened his mouth, ready to defend Louis, when the shed door burst open, startling them both.

“Get your hands off him”, a raspy voice growled, golden eyes flashing threateningly.

Liam let go at once, holding up his hands in the universal ‘surrender’ sign and throwing Harry a horrified look.

Harry blinked at the boy who stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the sunlight. As he stepped closer, his features could be seen better. 

Objectively speaking, the lad was attractive, with high cheekbones that were dusted with pink and feathery, chestnut hair. His lip was curled back to reveal a set of sharp teeth but what made Harry’s breath stutter were those eyes that were fading from bright yellow to a familiar, electric blue. The wolf stared back at him, equal parts furious and worried.

“Louis”, Harry couldn’t stop himself from breathing out.

Louis growled softly, his hands clenching into fists at his side but his eyes were now a less menacing blue.

“Harry,” he replied after a moment of breathing deeply, “Why are you with _him_?”

Harry blinked again, finally tearing his gaze away from Louis to glance at Liam.

“Uh..he was…we were just talking…”

“He’s a _Protector!_ ” Louis hissed the word, just as Niall had. 

Before Harry could attempt to explain the situation, another voice growled out, “No, he’s _mine_!”

If Harry was surprised to see Zayn there, it was nothing compared to Liam’s reaction. The lad’s mouth actually fell open and he whimpered, ever so slightly.

Zayn gave him a quick glance, similar to the one Louis had given Harry on arrival. Almost as if they were checking the inventory in their heads to make sure their mates were safe.

“I know”, Louis replied, his eyes flashing back in answer to Zayn’s challenge.

Zayn actually looked a bit stunned at that.

“How?” he asked, gaze shifting between Louis and Liam.

“I’m not half as oblivious as you think, Zayn”, Louis answered easily, “You really thought I wouldn’t notice how often you sneak out to come here? And then, Niall called me to tell me about your mate being a Protector. That’s why I came over but then I caught…”

He trailed off, glancing at Harry and the younger boy couldn’t stop the thrill of pleasure that raced through him as he completed Louis’ words in his mind: _Because he’d caught Harry’s scent_.

“Liam’s not like his-” Zayn began but he stopped when Louis held up a hand.

“Later. We’ll talk later”, Louis said.

Liam opened his mouth, whether to agree or disagree with Zayn, Harry didn’t know for Louis chose that moment to turn and face him.

“Harry,” the werewolf’s voice was a soft rasp.  
His eyes were unwaveringly fastened on his own, green ones. 

“Could you…take off your necklace? Please?”

Harry’s eyes widened but his hand automatically reached towards the silver ornament on his neck.

“No!” Liam’s shout made him pause and throw the brown-eyed boy an annoyed glare, “You _can’t_ , Harry!”

“Liam”.  
Zayn’s voice was a quiet plea but it was enough to catch Liam’s attention…and hold it.

“He can’t! Louis isn’t even supposed to be near him, let alone touch him. Harry’s still underaged. He’s figuring things out and I’m not going to stand back and let him be taken advantage of!”

“He’s not going to…” Zayn trailed off and glanced at Louis, “You’re not going to claim him, are you? He’s not old enough-”

“Of course not, Zayn!” Louis snapped but the words seemed to be causing him physical pain to say if his gritted teeth were any indication, “I just… need to make sure he’s okay and not harmed in any way”.

“Liam wouldn’t-” Zayn started to protest but Liam cut across him.

“You can clearly _see_ he hasn’t got a scratch on him! You don’t have to touch him for that!”

“It’s my fucking instincts, alright?” Louis growled, tugging on his own hair with one hand, “I’m normally good at controlling my wolf but I can’t right now. Not with Harry standing in front of me and his scent…”

He trailed off again but this time, it was because Harry had reached up in the middle of Louis’ speech and pulled off his necklace.

“Harry!” Liam sounded shocked but Zayn looked as if he understood.

“Just…give them five minutes alone, Li”, he murmured and, despite Liam’s clear reluctance to leave, he shot one final glance at Harry and followed his mate out of the shed.

Harry thought, for a brief second, Liam might even have taken the hand Zayn had held out in offering but before he could study them any further, Louis was in front of him.

Harry couldn’t stop the way his body melted into Louis’ touch when the older boy pulled him into a warm hug, burying his face against the crook of Harry’s neck and shoulder. Louis seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief at finally being able to touch Harry and Harry was pretty sure the wolf was scenting him from the way he kept nuzzling against him.

“Are you okay?” Louis’ voice sounded even raspier up close and Harry didn’t attempt to hold back the shudder that ran through him when his mate’s breath caressed over his earlobe.

“Fucking hell”, Louis groaned softly, pulling back slightly but unwilling to completely detach himself from the younger boy.

Harry stared up at the wolf, whose blue eyes were studying his every feature as if attempting to memorise them.

“My Mum will pitch a fit if she realises I met with you”, Louis breathed, swaying closer again, almost as if he couldn’t help it, “I was meant to wait. She had to tie me up when my first rut hit at sixteen”.

“Why?” Harry asked and…wow! His voice had gotten thicker, affected by just the close proximity to his mate.

Louis whined softly as if the memory were painful.

“I wanted to claim you”, he whispered, blushing, “It was stupid, I know. You were way too young but during ruts, the wolf side is completely in control and it…didn’t care. You were mine and my wolf couldn’t stand the thought of you not having any mark to symbolise you were claimed. God, it’s so fucking embarrassing to talk about! I had to send her to find you with my necklace. It’s a conversation with my mother that I never want to re-live again!” 

Louis chuckled softly but Harry was watching him with rapt attention. He had done some research about what a werewolf’s rut was but he had never imagined how Louis would have felt, knowing his mate was near yet untouchable.

“I’m sorry”, Harry murmured.

“No,” Louis’ voice was firm and Harry couldn’t help himself from tipping his head back when Louis cupped his face in his warm hands, “You have _nothing_ to apologise for. It’s not either of our fault. It’s just biology being a bitch”.

It honestly wasn’t funny but Harry still giggled and the sound seemed to delight Louis, who reached out and poked his cheek with an awe-like look on his face.

“You have dimples”, he breathed, his voice breaking on the last word.

“Yeah. What about it?” Harry grinned, cheekily, knowing it made his dimples more prominent. 

“You’ve got fucking _dimples_ , Hazza!”

Harry was about to make some smart comment about the nickname Louis had come up with but his thoughts came to a screeching halt when a pair of warm lips pressed against his own.

It was soft at first, Louis gently bringing their mouths together to nibble, suckle and tease. When he sucked on Harry’s bottom lip, Harry let out a soft moan, giving Louis access to his mouth and that was when the kiss heated up.

Louis’ tongue traced along his, flicking up to taste the inside of his mouth and explore the hard ridges of his palate. Harry moaned when Louis’ hands moved to his waist, pulling him closer against his toned chest.

“Lou”, Harry gasped when they parted for air, their bodies still tangled together. 

Taking a step back and away from Louis suddenly seemed like the worst thing on Earth!

“Harry,” Louis’ voice, Harry was pleased to note, was just as wrecked as his own, “Hazza”.

He lowered his head to bury it against the side of Harry’s neck, breathing in his comforting scent one more time before finally letting go and stepping back.

Harry didn’t pout…or so he told himself.

“Y..you should put the necklace back on”, Louis said, his voice still hoarse.

Harry didn’t even have to think about his actions when he took the silver necklace that was grasped in his palm and shoved it deep into his jeans’ pocket.

“Harry!” Louis sounded…torn, “That’s not going to keep me from…I can only get burned if I’m in direct contact with silver”.

“I know”, Harry answered, keeping his gaze locked with Louis’ as he added, “I trust you”.

Louis made a sound that was a mixture between a growl and a whine. Harry was taken by surprise when the wolf suddenly pushed him up against the wall and stepped in front of him, lining their bodies together until Harry could feel Louis’ warmth and the firm line of his cock pressing up against his own.

Without much thought, Harry moaned and parted his thighs.

“I trust you”, he repeated, pulling Louis closer with a hand in his shirt.

“You really shouldn’t”, the future Alpha rasped out against the shell of his ear and Harry’s eyes fluttered shut.

The rub of Louis’ cock against the cleft of his arse was a tantalising tease. He wanted more. And then, just as suddenly as it had occurred, the welcome heat that was Louis was gone.

This time, Harry did pout.

“I should…I need to send my Mum to talk to yours and explain everything. We were gonna wait until you were sixteen but since you already know…” Louis smiled, a relieved look in his eyes, “You have no idea how glad I am that you know. It’s been torture trying to stay away from you”.

“Y..you can spend time with me now?” Harry asked, his half-hard cock forgotten in the light of this important discovery.

“I don’t see what harm it could do since you know what we are”, Louis shrugged, “As long as you promise to keep wearing your necklace until you turn sixteen”.

“Why?” Harry whined despite knowing exactly why.

“My wolf wants to establish our bond this very minute but I could never forgive myself if I claimed you before you were ready.”

“I _am_ ready!” Harry insisted, even though he had only realised what ‘establishing the mate bond’ meant a few minutes ago.

“You’re fourteen”, Louis pointed out.

“So? Age is just a number”, Harry insisted.

He felt warmth spread through him when Louis chuckled at that.

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that”, Louis murmured, eyes twinkling fondly.

“Does that mean…?” Harry tried but Louis just shook his head and repeated, “When you’re sixteen, love. We can wait that long”.

“What if I don’t want to wait?” Harry asked, aware that he sounded like a petulant child but not caring at the moment, “I want to be yours”.

Louis was standing on the other side of the shed but Harry could still see the way his eyes darkened with promise at the words. Maybe a part of it was the bond making him crave physical contact with his mate but Harry was certain that if he kept at it, he could wear Louis down.

“When the time comes,” Louis breathed, softly, “I promise you, you’ll know _exactly_ what being mine feels like”.

Harry’s breath caught in his throat. He may have whined softly and Louis took a subconscious step forward.

“Which is why I know you’ll wait for me”, Louis finished, destroying Harry’s hopes of being ravished right then and there.

“Fine”, Harry sighed heavily but it turned into a soft hum of pleasure when Louis’ arms came around him again and the older lad pressed a kiss against the pulse of his neck.

“Thank you, love”, Louis murmured, pressing one more kiss to his cheek before moving away, “Please put the necklace back on”.

He waited until Harry had complied and then, bestowed a soft smile on him that had the younger boy preening with pride.

“You should get to class”, Louis said after a minute of comfortable silence, “I need to have a chat with Zayn and his mate”.

Harry nodded, knowing that it was a conversation he couldn’t be a part of. A part of him noted that Louis seemed to have already accepted the fact that Liam was Zayn’s mate, despite him clearly not being happy about Liam’s family ties.

“When will I see you again?” Harry asked, biting his lip, nervously.

Was he coming across as too eager? But surely, that was normal, right? All mates felt that way?

Louis just gave him a smirk as he said, “Sooner than you think, Hazza”.

And then, with a final glance his way, Louis slipped out of the shed’s door.

_____________________________________

 

It was later that evening, as Harry was preparing to go to bed, that he noticed something white in the location where his wolfsbane plant had once been.

Curious, he walked closer to investigate. There, on a piece of paper, was a message scrawled in the same scratchy writing as that on his necklace.

 _Are you free this Saturday? I’d love for you to officially meet my pack_.

Underneath the message, was a phone number.

Harry grinned as he typed the number into his phone and sent a simple message back to Louis:

_Pick me up at 10_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, there is a fourth part coming up. It will be 3 chapters long and will most likely be the last one in this series (am I the only one who’s crying about that?)  
> As always, a comment would be lovely! Love to you all <3 xx


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